The stake lodged in his thigh made it feel as if the muscle fibers were tearing apart with every exertion of strength. His left arm was nowhere to be seen, and his right eye was blind. Yet Ga Unseong stood upright, gripping his sword.
Death held no fear for him.
He only wished to cut down at least one enemy, to console the souls of his fallen comrades. He wanted revenge. But his body would no longer move. The only sensation left was in the fingers clutching the sword’s hilt.
“Impressive.” Among the five masked figures surrounding Ga Unseong, the one who appeared to be the leader stepped forward. “To still stand on two feet in that condition.”
“You bastards,” Ga Unseong spat, blood frothing from his mouth as he spoke. “I’ll make every one of you my companions on the road to the underworld!”
“I hope so,” the masked leader nodded, drawing a black sword from his back. “In respect, I’ll kill you in a single strike.”
Ga Unseong calmly raised his right arm. Despite enduring countless attacks, he had risen like a roly-poly toy each time. It wasn’t due to his martial prowess or stamina, but purely his unrelenting desire for vengeance.
Swish!
The masked man’s black sword sliced through the air, piercing Ga Unseong’s heart with precision.
Thud.
With a dull sound, Ga Unseong collapsed to his knees without so much as a scream.
“What a tenacious bastard,” the masked man muttered, shaking his head as he withdrew the sword from Ga Unseong’s heart.
Step, step.
A low sound of footsteps echoed across the ground. Turning, the masked man saw a figure approaching steadily, holding an iron sword in his left hand. It was Bu Eunseol.
“That sword…” The masked man’s eyes widened as he noticed the black sword strapped to Bu Eunseol’s back—the same kind worn by trainees of the Extreme Blade Sect. “Why are you carrying that black sword?” the masked man demanded.
Bu Eunseol replied nonchalantly, “It seemed useful.” The absurd response made the masked man’s gaze turn cold.
Bu Eunseol had come from the direction where three of their comrades had been hiding. The fact that he now held their sword made further conversation unnecessary.
Flash!
A streak of light burst from Bu Eunseol’s right hand. Most assassins’ techniques relied on one-strike-kill swordplay or blade techniques. Bu Eunseol struck first to prevent them from taking the initiative.
“Argh!” A masked figure standing to Bu Eunseol’s side clutched his throat, letting out a wretched scream.
His carotid artery had been severed in an instant by Bu Eunseol’s swift sword.
“Attack!” The remaining four masked men quickly drew their black swords and lunged at Bu Eunseol.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A barrage of sharp sword techniques rained down on Bu Eunseol like a fierce storm. But Bu Eunseol had anticipated their moves and dropped flat to the ground.
“What?!” The masked men gasped in shock.
Their Death-Shot Blood Formation was an all-out, one-strike-kill technique aimed at vital points. Yet Bu Eunseol, with uncanny ease, had dodged their full-force attack by lying flat on the ground.
Swish!
Bu Eunseol sprang up like lightning, his iron sword writhing like a living snake.
“Argh!” Another masked man’s heart was pierced by Bu Eunseol’s sword.
He had chained the sixth move of the Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms, Long-Short Comparison, with the seventh move of the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword, Wooden Man, Stone Heart.
“What kind of swordplay is this?!” The masked men were horrified.
How could a rigid iron sword bend so freely, striking vital points with such precision?
Tremble.
The tip of Bu Eunseol’s sword quivered, and his technique shifted once more. A piercing scream followed without fail.
“Aaah!” The swift sword, which had shot straight forward, suddenly curved, slicing into a masked man’s side. “He’s a sword demon!”
Whenever the iron sword cut through the air, the hand of death followed. Terrified, the two remaining masked men scattered left and right, employing their movement techniques.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol, watching them, threw the black sword strapped to his back like a dagger.
Thud.
The lightweight, short black sword flew true, embedding itself in the back of the masked man fleeing to the right. But the one escaping to the left continued running.
“I’m alive!” the masked man cheered as he fled.
Then, he spotted a dark figure standing in the distance. It was Ga Unseong, who had collapsed with a sword through his heart.
“How is he…?” He was certain he had pierced Ga Unseong’s heart. How could he be standing again? “Could it be…?”
The masked man suddenly recalled knowledge from the advanced training of the Extreme Blade Sect. If you drew a centerline through a person’s body, the heart wasn’t on the left but closer to the center. In rare cases, some people’s hearts were positioned slightly differently.
“I’ll kill you again!” Fueled by all his pent-up rage, the masked man unleashed his sword technique.
He poured his anger and helplessness from facing Bu Eunseol into Ga Unseong. But there was something he hadn’t considered: Ga Unseong no longer cared for his own life.
“Die!” Unfazed by the sword piercing his heart, Ga Unseong charged forward, thrusting his iron sword into the masked man.
Thud.
The masked man’s eyes froze in midair as the iron sword pierced his heart. He died instantly, without even time to scream.
“I’ve… finally avenged them…” Ga Unseong, trembling as he looked at his hand, collapsed to the ground. “I did it…”
His body, riddled with fatal wounds, should have died long ago. But his obsession with revenge had tethered his soul to his body.
“I did it…” A faint smile crossed Ga Unseong’s face as a shadowy figure appeared in his fading vision.
It was Bu Eunseol.
“Was it worth it?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“What…?”
“You said you got your revenge.” Bu Eunseol’s expression was deadly serious as he continued, “I want to know what it feels like to complete your revenge.”
“Feels like…” A strange smile curled at the corner of Ga Unseong’s lips.
His eyes held a tangle of emotions—too complex to describe in a single word.
Thud.
Unable to finish his words, Ga Unseong died with his eyes open.
“…” Bu Eunseol stared endlessly at Ga Unseong’s lifeless face.
Was it because all the assassins who had brutally killed his comrades were now dead? Ga Unseong’s eyes, once open, were now closed, and his complicated smile seemed to have transformed into one of relief.
‘Will I be able to smile like that?’ Bu Eunseol, gazing blankly into the void, shook his head vigorously.
‘Now’s not the time for sentimentality!’ The third trial had already begun, and the island had become a hellscape. With an empty gaze, Bu Eunseol stood tall, took a deep breath, and vanished into the forest.
Whoosh.
After Bu Eunseol left, a gray mist suddenly rolled into the empty clearing. The mist, pouring in from all directions, gradually gathered into a human shape.
“So, that’s the guy,” a low voice echoed from within the mist. “Using the basic sword techniques of the Hwa Wu Sect, which are useless in real combat, to cut down the assassins of the Extreme Blade Sect…” The voice carried a mix of intense curiosity and excitement.
“He’s reached the advanced stage, so the first move of the final prey will inevitably be the Hwa Wu Sword…” The voice now dripped with regret. “He’s mastered the Beast Way, but there’s no sign of deep martial training.”
Despite his remarkable talent, the island was filled with prodigies equal to Bu Eunseol. They had been systematically trained in martial arts since childhood, their bodies honed to master supreme techniques with ease. Above all, they hid claws capable of delivering a fatal blow in critical moments.
“With that level, he won’t survive this hellish island.” The low voice faded to a whisper and then vanished completely.
The mist, shaped like a human, dissolved like melting snow.
***
The Third Trial was a prolonged battle.
Some ambushed enemies with powerful martial arts, while others hid using superior stealth techniques. Some formed groups by gathering allies, while others built factions with exceptional leadership. In this regard, Bu Eunseol was at a severe disadvantage.
Lone wanderers became prey for those in groups. There were no allies or enemies—only foes aiming to kill him, whom he had to cut down. But Bu Eunseol didn’t care. The enemy he had to face was far stronger than all the trainees on this hellish island combined. If he couldn’t overcome this trial, even if he survived this place, he would never be able to kill that man.
“Huff. Huff.” Bu Eunseol’s body was drenched in exhaustion.
As soon as he emerged from the forest, four boys wielding paper-thin whips ambushed him. They were trainees of the White Horse Temple, masters of the White Horse Nine Whip Technique.
Crack! Boom!
Surrounding Bu Eunseol, they freely extended and retracted their three-yard-long whips. It was the White Horse Temple’s secret formation, the Jade Serpent Array.
Whiz! Boom!
Each time dozens of whips lashed out, the air cracked with sonic booms and explosions. Bu Eunseol, with astonishing reflexes, dodged the rain of whips while attempting to counterattack.
Slash!
Breaking through the whip shadows, he aimed to cut the wrist of one wielding a whip.
Clang!
Bu Eunseol’s eyebrows shot up. His iron sword had only sliced through a sleeve, failing to sever the wrist. They had all wrapped transparent whips around their wrists and key joints for protection.
“It’s the Hwa Wu Sword!” one of the boys, recognizing Bu Eunseol’s technique, shouted in awe. “Use the Spirit Snake Seeking Shadows to stop him from wielding his sword!” As time passed, the whip shadows grew denser, and Bu Eunseol’s clothes became stained with blood.
Yet his legs remained steady, and his eyes burned brighter.
Whiz!
One of the four whips, moving like a lively snake, coiled around Bu Eunseol’s iron sword.
“Got him!” the boy who had ensnared the sword inwardly cheered.
Swordsmen considered it shameful to lose their weapon. Moreover, with the whip entangling his sword, it not only dealt a psychological blow but could also turn the fight into a contest of inner strength.
“No way!” The boy’s triumphant expression turned to disbelief.
Thud.
Bu Eunseol had unhesitatingly discarded his sword.
Shing.
Drawing the black sword from his back, Bu Eunseol resumed his swordplay. He had never considered himself a martial artist, nor had he ever tied his pride to his weapon.
“Damn it!” The boys, flustered by this, unwittingly slowed their attacks.
Flash!
As the onslaught of whips momentarily faltered, Bu Eunseol seized the opportunity.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Alternating between swift sword techniques and linked sword forms, he pushed them back and swiftly escaped the range of the Jade Serpent Array.
“…”
Even after breaking free from the formation, Bu Eunseol didn’t flee. He stood firm, gripping his black sword. The boys, staring at the blood-soaked Bu Eunseol holding his sword, felt a chill.
This guy… he’s strong. Though Bu Eunseol was the one accumulating wounds, the boys felt an invisible hand slowly tightening around their throats.
“Why are you scared?!” one of the boys gripping a whip shouted at his comrades. “Have you forgotten what the boss said? With the Jade Serpent Array, we can defeat anyone!”
“The boss?” Bu Eunseol, standing still, furrowed his brow.
Did that mean there was a leader commanding these four boys?
“Fine! Let’s do this!” The boys, newly emboldened, began wielding their whips again.
Whoosh.
The transparent whips shimmered with golden light, like dozens of snake shadows flickering. They were about to reactivate the Jade Serpent Array.
“…!” Suddenly, the boys’ movements froze.
Thud, thud, thud.
The sound of numerous figures approaching echoed from somewhere nearby.
